No not the trophy awarded to the outstanding rookie in the NHL – that one is going to Alexander Ovechkin. I am talking about the trophy awarded to the American Hockey League Champion. Even though Over 82 percent of all National Hockey League players in 2005-06 were AHL graduates, the league still goes unnoticed for most of the season.

The Hershey Bears, the farm team for the Washington Capitals, won the title in game six over the Milwaukee Admirals by a score of 5-1. It is no surprise to the average fan that the Capitals’ farm team is the best in the AHL. Other than Alexander Ovechkin, Brendan Witt, and Olaf Kolzig, the Capitals’ roster was filled with unknown and unproven prospects. (A nice way of saying career AHLers).

The Hershey win is great news for Capital fans. Not only will they benefit from another high pick in this year’s draft in Vancouver, they will also have a number of young, proven winners returning to the team. (Maybe no longer career AHLers). It is said that the Stanley Cup is the most difficult trophy to win in all of sports. Although it is not the Stanley Cup - I still give much respect to the Hershey team for their accomplishment.

I urge you to visit the American Hockey League web site. It is full of a lot of great information including a history of the Calder Cup plus links to all of the AHL franchises. Check it out: http://www.theahl.com/********************************************************Have an opinion on George's article? Let us know. Just hit reply below and post your thoughts. Anything goes...but keep it clean.********************************************************PickupHockey.com is your online hockey community. We're always looking for sharp volunteer writers. If you feel that you'd like to contribute articles on a regular basis drop us an email. admin@pickuphockey.com